The Trading Post

The challenge at the Artist Trading Post is to make an ATC inspired by the old Wild West Trading Posts of America.  For my entry I made a deeply rusted and verdigris back ground, and based on having watched programmes like "Little House on the Prairie" I thought well clothes were mostly hand made and the women would buy fabric, sewing tools and nations at the Trading Post informed my choice of stamps and charms.

Where you should be

The  current Thats Crafty Challenge is Grunge Grunge Grunge.  I started with a piece of mountboard and added Grunge Paste through stencils, then paints and patinas to get a rusty/verdigris look with touches of Treasure Gold added some sheen. Copper wire was twisted gave the girls a base to stand on.  The Girls are Zetti stamps coloured with water colour wax crayons and the quote is a Donna Downey stamp.

Girlfriends

I'm not a great fan of making ATCs, I prefer to work on a bigger scale, it comes from being messy and clumsy, but I spent a few hours making some today, there is a great discipline in working small.  This one I am entering into the Stampotique  Designers Challenge SDC190 to use stitches.  The background is a gelli print leftover with some extra stencil and stamping, the cross stitches on which the girls are standing is the Kisses stamp by Jo Capper-Sandon and the Little Friends stamp by Janet Klein both stamps by Stampotique Originals.

A Rainy Day

I am entering this into the Mixed Media Monthly Challenge #11 - April Showers.  It is a 6 x 12 canvas with a painted background featuring a row of hoses from embossed metal.